An improved numerical method for calculating mechanical properties of bi-modulus sandwich composite structures

Sandwich composite consists of panel material with higher strength and core material with lower strength, and the tensile elastic modulus and compressive modulus of these materials are often not equal. At present, the theoretical calculation and numerical calculation methods of bi-module materials are mainly applicable to single material and simple geometric structure, meanwhile, there will be situations such as slow convergence speed or even non-convergence of iterative algorithm. Therefore, when calculating sandwich composites, it is usually considered that the tensile modulus and compressive modulus are equal, which will bring great errors to the calculation. In order to better predict the cross-section characteristics and stiffness characteristics of bi-modulus sandwich composites, this paper developed the theoretical and numerical methods calculation methods suitable for bi-modulus sandwich composite structures. Example results show that the proposed finite element method based on field variables is consistent with the theoretical formula for bi-module materials, which can be used for structural design and safety check of marine sandwich composites.

Automated summary

This paper develops theoretical and numerical calculation methods to better predict the characteristics of bimodal sandwich composites, which is significant for structural design and safety check of marine sandwich composites.